Saint Victor!

In the last part of his statement/quotes, he mentions about a club being ambitious, and him being integral to that ambition. Sounds like he's been talking to Cortese. Perhaps I'm being overly optimistic, but if he is talking about us, that's a good sign. It's not the type of narrative that you would use for a top 4 club, as its a given. Saying that, there's no evidence that he has spoken to any top 4 club!

 

The thing that concerns me, the type of players we are going for, surely the agents will want a slice, thats how they earn their corn. The fact we are so far at the bottom of the league table regarding agents fees means cortese did a magnificent job last season considering how much we spent. I just get the feel that when I see Wigan prepared to spend 3 x what we spent on them we will lose players if we consider sticking to this stance. It may well be (and im sure it is), then further up the chain we move, and the better quality player we target then agents come part and parcel, there is a reason why the top 6 pay the most in agents fees, and we want to be top 6 so either agents waiver there fees when we target their clients, or we pay the fees, or risk losing those players to clubs who are prepared to pay them, and clubs clearly are.

 

Good post, if we want to attract these sort of players then we are going to have to bite the bullet and pay higher fees, that's not to say that Cortese can not haggle it down a bit... but we can't expect to spend in the 6 figure mark for agent fees and sign these kind of players.

 

There are good and bad agents...we have no idea which Victor has. Apparently, FIFA are loosening the strings again on registering agents. A chap was moaning on Sky about the tough exam he had to pass to be an agent (apparently there is a very low pass rate), but now the standards are being lowered again.

 

Agreed. I admire the idea of not paying huge agent fees but if every other club continues to pay those fees you're not going to achieve anything beyond hampering yourself in the transfer market.

 

All about balance I suppose. I don't see why the agents fees aren't paid by his client...the money still comes out of the club indirectly, but it would at least make the player concentrate more on his agents fees. Apparently it's even worse on the continent where people claim to be an agent but are really only arrangers who put people in touch with each other.

 

As we saw with Ramirez, players have a funny habit of accepting decent offers when no great ones are available. Him and his agent will get considerably more money if he moves to us than if he stays at Celtic and they know it. Unless Celtic accept bids from elsewhere, he's got no real option but to join us.

 

Perhaps we could ask one of the ITK Agents on Twitter. Oh.....no......my mistake.

 

Agreed about balance. I wouldn't say we should pay whatever the agent wants but I think Cortese could be a little more flexible.

Yes, although that depends how long Wanyama wants to stall in case of a better offer and how long we're prepared to wait before moving on to other targets.

 

Only reason we got Ramirez is because his agent waived his fees to push it through, no? Which doesn't bode well if we have to hope for that eventuality to get any of our top targets.

 

So are we to believe he has not yet met cotese? Does it look encouraging that he mentions a teams ambition being important?

 

I presume Cardiff have ambition.

 

No idea. The reports suggesting he flew back to the UK and rejected our initial offer imply they have met, but really who knows?

The ambition comments are strange, it reads as though we haven't given him guarantees of first team football or something, which seems odd.

 

Perhaps he was having a dig at our status in the agents' fees table, and the clubs' reluctance to be more flexible in the way it negotiates - suggesting we lack 'top 6' ambition?

Not saying that is what I think, by the way.
Just trying to get inside his head.

May just be a positive comment, affirming that he likes the ambition at Saints, but just wants a better deal?

 

No player would be given guarantee of 1st team football...has to earn it on the training ground.

 

This is right and they know it. I'm pretty sure his (agents?) comments are purely designed to start up interest from other clubs. They know there is interest in Wanyama, but without any other offers, they can't see what else is available to them.

 

Of course, but his statement that he wants to be an integral part suggest he has been given the impression he wouldn't be. That or it's all just general waffle of course and not related to anything.

 

We're guilty of over analysing. He may just be stating what's important to him...if he wants to play a lot, he will have more chance with us or Cardiff than with a top six side. A couple of our earlier signings remarked how important they would be to the team and how it would be built round them...pretty sure that Nicola can waffle/lie with the best of them. Buttner said that he was featured on the DVD...probably do that with any serious target.

 

I understand this, but admire Cortese's stance, if indeed this is the issue. Someone needs to break this cycle and a part of me is glad and proud we may be the team to take this stance. I know it may mean we miss out on some players, but isn't it a shame that more chairmen don't share the same conviction that Cortese has in terms of agents fees?

 

Possibly for it being taxed twice?